Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Before I show you a sample of the cards I made from my March Paper Pumpkin, I have to tell you about an AWESOME sale beginning Thursday June 9th through Friday June 10th only! For 31 hours (Beginning at 5 p.m. MT/ 7 p.m. CST on Thursday), first-time subscribers to Paper Pumpkin can get a Paper Pumpkin Kit for only $5!! That's a savings of $14.95!!

Here's the details straight from Stamping Up!

Whether you are a long-time stamper or brand new to this fun hobby, Paper Pumpkin is definitely a One Size Fits All. As you'll see today, I've worked strictly with what came in my kit. Perfect for the beginner. But if you are more advanced and like to challenge yourself, you can use the Paper Pumpkin kit as a jumping off point into your own creativity. There are tons of boards on Pinterest and YouTube to inspire you at any level.

Some of you have asked about 'signing up for one more thing' and I get that. Please feel free to contact me with any questions via my Contact Form on the right and I'll be happy to help.

So here are my cards from the MARCH Paper Pumpkin - 'Sew You'

I made 3 different cards using only the supplies given. The kit comes boxed like this with enough supplies to make a minimum of 9 cards - with envelopes plus the stamp set, an ink pad, dimensional dots, thread/ needle and embellishments. If you cut the cards apart and use them as mats then you will get A LOT more:

Unpacked:

For the 2 cards without stitching, I chose to make them flip open. I started by opening one of the cards horizontal and laying it flat on the table:

Then I cut 1 - 1/2" off one end. When I closed the card back up, this is what the card looked like:

Using one of the YOU speech mats as a template, I cut out a blank topper, eliminating the speech point, then cut it out with scissors:

Next, I used the THANK and YOU from the stamp collection and placed them together on my clear block and inked them with the black ink provided in the kit:

Running just a single pass of adhesive from my tape runner ( you could use any adhesive you have) along the top of the mat, I then adhered it to the top of the white section of the card base:

This provided a closer flap:

For the gem in the bottom corner, I adhered one of the gem embellishments to a scrap of white cardstock, then cut around the shape, leaving a scant 1/8" outline. I used a dimensional dot to stick to front of the card. I carried the 'gem' theme to the inside of the card, using one of the stamps and another embellishment:

I followed the same trimming, adhering process with the 'I Like You' card:

Inside, I used the speech bubble and 'a lot' sentiment stamp:

The final card had a bit more to it. I wanted to show the stitching. I also did not use this as a flip card. I use the card vertical with the fold line at the top. I stamped 'Happy Birthday to' on one of the pre-punched 'YOU' cards then stitched the YOU in the yellow embroidery floss provided.

Because this is embroidery floss, there are 6 strands of thread twisted together. This can make threading a needle difficult. Cely over at Hawaii Paper Party has an awesome trick. Cut a piece of paper about 1" long and about 1/4" wide. Fold in half lengthwise. Lay the end of your thread in the crease, fold the 'taco' as she calls it then thread the paper through the needle eye! Ingenious!! Thanks for the tip, Cely!

I started by going down from the back so as to leave my tail on the back. I held it in place with a remnant of my dimensional mat:

When I'd finished stitching, I adhered a final dimensional:

With the stitching done, I adhered the mat with the dimensionals to the top of the card, lining the top edge of the mat with the fold on the card. Then I added 3 star embellishments from the kit to the front to balance things out.

Every month is different with Paper Pumpkin. I can't wait to see what this special kit includes.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

I had hoped to have this post up yesterday but life just happens. This is my second day back to blogging after a month-long hiatus with tendonitis in my right elbow and arm. I'm still working in short spurts. As the arm continues to heal, the posts will become more regular. Thank you for hanging in with me.

Today's post is all about working with what you have.
I have been a Stampin' Up customer since 2005. In fact, today's card is inspired by a stamp set from the 2004-2005 catalog called Hearts and Clovers (page 31) You can see an example similar to the one in the catalog HERE.
While I have a lot of SU stamp sets, I only have eleven sets that are still current... mostly sentiments that include images. My best prospect for an image-focused card was the Sprinkles of Life set (New catty, page 106) which coordinates with the Tree Builder punch (page 188)

I have nicknames for both of my granddaughters. The youngest is Cupcake. She is just as sweet as can be and I can not get enough of her. This card will go in holding until her birthday in October.

So with this set in hand, I created my first official SU card as a demonstrator.

I began with a white card base (4- 1/4 x 5-1/2) then masked off the bottom 3". Using the 'sprinkles' from the set, I colored them with the only current colors of SU markers I have (originally from an In-Color 2009-2010) I used; Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry. The only color in the set I did not use was Dusty Durango. As you can see, the colors I used have since become members of our regular color family collections.

While this step was repetitive, I do like the background this technique created.

After stamping all of the sprinkles, I replaced the bottom mask with Bermuda Bay (4- 1/4 x 3-1/4) then added a narrow strip of Melon Mambo in place of ribbon (which I did not have)

The Cupcake:

I began by cutting a piece of Crushed curry 2- 5/8" square. Then removed a 1/8" from all sides using the tearing technique, providing a bit of texture. The white mat is 2" square. I created the dot border by adhering a 1-3/4" mask to the center of the mat with temporary adhesive. Then using the fine point of the Melon Mambo marker, I placed dots right up against the edge of the mat about 1/8" apart, then removed the mask.

The base of the cupcake is stamped with Soft Suede. Then I cut the image out with scissors.

For the cupcake frosting, I used a technique called 'ghosting'.

Ghosting is created by inking your stamp, then stamping lightly onto a scrap. Then stamp your image where you want it with the second pass. This gives your image a more subtle look. While I wanted a strawberry frosting effect, I did not want the color overly bright. The ghosting technique gave me the lighter tone I was looking for. For an added touch, I stamped the sprinkles on top with the first pass, then the next two passes using the ghosting technique - giving the effect of the sprinkles getting 'lost' in the frosting. The frosting was punched out using the Tree Builder punch.

I glued the cupcake base to the mat, then used dimensionals to raise the frosting up.

I used the Bitty Butterfly punch (pg 187) and Melon Mambo for a touch of whimsy.

This card is a perfect example of you can work with what you have in a pinch... and also allows you to see what you might be missing in your stamp collection. I can help with that. In the mean time, I'm off to fill in a few gaps of my own.

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All content is solely my responsibility as an independent Stampin’ Up! demonstrator and the use of and content of the classes, services, or products offered on this blog is not endorsed by Stampin’ Up!